Hello, my name is Monica
I was born and raised in Mississauga and I am excited to support others in the community I grew up in. I am grateful for the opportunity to support others and to foster community healing and growth. I am a black/biracial identifying-female, with roots in Canada and Trinidad. My mixed-race identity informs my practice and life experiences. From an early age I loved making art. Art making supported me through my foundational years of school and I pursued an Honours BFA at York University. There I discovered the power of art therapy. I didn’t have the words to articulate my experiences and feelings, so I transformed them into art. It was a way to communicate and process what I was going through. As an Art Educator I wanted my students to see themselves in their art and celebrated them as artists and storytellers exploring their lived experiences. After a beautiful 22 year teaching career, I have made the transition to supporting others wellness as I pursued a Masters Level Diploma at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute.
When I am not in session, I do many things to create joy in my life for my loved ones and to recharge myself. My family is a huge support! I love spending time with them up North being outdoors on a lake, planning a tropical retreat, or chilling on the couch watching a movie and cuddling with our dogs. I love to practice yoga and find that to be a healing practice as well. Music is always playing in our house and I go out to concerts and musicals when I can. I look forward to learning about you, your strengths, your stories and what makes you YOU!
My Values in Practice
In therapeutic practice, it is important for me to provide a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive and anti-oppressive lens to my work so that I can support each client to find their strengths and to help them to reach their full potential. Warmth, kindness, calm, and good humour are my strengths that help me to build genuine connections with others. Over the years I have supported many children and families coping with self-esteem, anxiety, emotional regulation, grief, loss, depression, racial trauma, racism, divorce, LQBTQ+allyship, friendships and bullying. My practice is rooted in the belief that art can serve as a powerful tool for self-discovery and transformation, allowing clients to express and explore feelings that are often difficult to articulate through words alone. I strive to provide a soft and safe place to share and create. I am wholly client-led and I know that not everyone connects to art making or the creative process, so I meet you where you are and talk therapy is also a wonderful way to connect in session.
